NOTIFICATION ON MY INTENT TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN JIGAWA STATE.
(AHMAD RUFAI ZAKARI – SAN TURAKIN KAZAURE)

After due consideration and consultation, I will be joining the aspirants that are vying to run for the Office of Governor of Jigawa State in the upcoming primary elections of our great party.

His Excellency, Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has done a tremendous job in building an Administration that is truly for the people. From his repositioning of Healthcare in the State to his investments in Education, he has made social infrastructure a primary goal (and has succeeded) in improving the lives of millions of citizens in Jigawa. Governor Badaru has also overseen significant infrastructural development in our great State from increased electricity access to water access (for social and irrigation purposes) to a further linking and expansion of our in-state road network.

The agricultural revolution in the State cannot be overstated. Through the anchor borrowers’ program and other agricultural initiatives, His Excellency Governor Badaru helped design (at the Federal level) we have seen a steady increase in output and the empowerment of our farming communities.

This must continue. Most importantly he has achieved all of this in a fiscally prudent manner and has also coordinated with the Federal Government to bring in billions of Naira in projects such as the Gagarawa Substation that is creating a new economic and industrial hub in Jigawa.

With my requisite experience in Engineering, Economics, Finance and Administration gathered from years working and studying across the globe and in Nigeria, I believe (if given the opportunity) I can build on the great legacy of His Excellency Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.

I have always been an early starter. I became the youngest African Executive in the history of General Electric’s renowned CAS program at the age of 28. I started repositioning and managing multibillion dollar businesses in GE at the age of 29. I was turbaned as the Santuraki of Kazaure prior to the age of 30. I am also today, the youngest person in the Buhari Administration to occupy a cabinet level position as Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure. I started this role at the age of 36.

In my time as the Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure (since 2019) I have worked on many significant national assignments under the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and I must thank them immensely for providing me the opportunity to serve and the platform to excel. I will confess that the projects that I most enjoyed working on are the ones I facilitated to Jigawa State with the guidance and leadership of His Excellency Governor Badaru Abubakar.

I have had the privilege to work on projects in Jigawa such as the Gumel General Hospital Mini-Grid, the rehabilitation of the “Kan Dam” Road in Kazaure as well as the soon to commence Hospital and Healthcare Electrification projects for the Hadejia, Kazaure, Babura and Dutse (Rashid Shekoni) General Hospitals. All in all, I have worked on 23 projects (completed and ongoing) in Jigawa and contributed to the addition of almost N2 billion in infrastructure (see project book attached)
I am an indigene of Gwiwa Local Government (Daragi township), and I have significant family ties in Kazaure.

I believe we can build on the great foundation that His Excellency has established. If chosen by our party and subsequently elected, some major initiatives we would execute are:

- Build 1MW to 5MW solar hybrid electricity mini-grids in each local government area and guarantee 24 hour power supply in our 5 Emirate HQs
- Develop 1 industrial cluster per Emirate leveraging the Gagarawa template established by this Government
- Leverage on the road network built and rehabilitated by this administration to establish a mass transit scheme of buses and light rail in our major Emirate HQs
- Each local government to have a focus produce of agriculture
- Expand cash crop production like Gum Arabic to complement the massive increase in food crop production overseen by this Administration, increase Jigawa’s export earnings
- Expand arable land partnering with the River Basin Authorities and leveraging technology through Solar Powered irrigation
- Expand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and move Jigawa further into a knowledge-based economy
- Establish a world class Agricultural Research Institute with global partnerships to help move us more intro processing for our Dates, Gum Arabic and other critical agricultural output

I am participating in this contest for the Gubernatorial Seat out of a passionate desire to serve our people in a greater capacity. I believe whoever the primary process chooses under the guidance of our erudite Governor and key political stakeholders in the State, it will be in the best interest of our State and Country.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to participate in the political process and for the opportunity to show that I am a worthy candidate to represent our great party in the 2023 elections.

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